Small, new device which saves funeral heart attack victim

A friend’s funeral may seem like the worst place to suffer a cardiac arrest — but for Martin Mitchell it was the perfect spot because a small innovative device was near at hand. READ HIS STORY

It would be ironic to die of a heart attack at a funeral — but for Martin Mitchell it was the perfect spot to be when he heart gave up.

Had he fallen unconscious just 10 minutes earlier, he would have been at the wheel of his car, driving down a busy road with his wife Michelle.

But instead, he was seated in the back of The Anglican Parish of Gosford with more than 300 others — and a lifesaving piece of equipment.

Mr and Mrs Mitchell were preparing to pay their respects to friend Kevin Booth, a much loved Central Coast community member who had passed away, when Mr Mitchell slumped into the church pew.

“He was totally gone,” Mrs Mitchell said. “I knew something was wrong and I started telling people to call triple-0.”

Chris Threw, Martin Mitchell and Reverend Christian Ford met up again this week at Gosford Anglican Church. Picture: Sue Graham

Reverend Christian Ford was preparing for Mr Booth’s funeral service when he was alerted to a commotion and cleared Mr Booth’s family and friends from the church, as a small group began to gather around an unresponsive Mr Mitchell.

Chris Thew, who has 20 years medical experience as a rescue operator, happened to be close by, working as an employment trainer, and rushed to offer assistance.

CellAED was launched in Australia at the end of last year and is the world’s first personal defibrillator.

He quickly realised Mr Mitchell had suffered a cardiac arrest and began to perform CPR.

As he did so, Reverend Ford ran to the vestry to retrieve a donation that had been made to the church just two weeks earlier — a CellAED defibrillator.

Mr Thew delivered two shocks from the CellAED before ambulance paramedics arrived and delivered a third shock that restarted his heart and pacemaker.

It is believed to be one of the first times the new device, which sells for about $500 online and expires after two years, has been successfully used on a member of the public.

“It was the first time I’d seen or used that specific device but it was nice and easy,” he said.

“I knew that at the very minimum, we’d given his family a chance to spend time with him.”

Mr Mitchell says otherwise however — when he met Mr Thew this week for the first time he dubbed the experience his “big performance”.

Martin Mitchell calls his brush with death his “big performance”. Picture: Sue Graham

“Thank you Chris for saving my life,” he said, with his arms wrapped around Mr Thew’s shoulders.

“It’s very wonderful you were on the spot with the device when I had my big performance.”

Mr Thew was shy to the praise however, saying he was just a “cog in the machine” that helped to save Mr Mitchell.

The 85-year-old underwent major emergency surgery to clear a blocked artery, and spent two weeks in hospital — and several days in an induced coma — before he was released late last month.

CellAED can be attached to a wall for emergencies.

The instructions to use it are on the product and can be followed at the time of emergency.

“My chest is still sore from the pounding I got but that’s what kept me alive,” he told The Sunday Telegraph.

“Being there, the CellAED, and having people act so quickly is probably what saved me.”

Despite a later start, Mr Booth’s funeral went ahead largely as planned, with Mr Mitchell offering his apologies to Mrs Booth for the “interruption”.

“I heard from Kevin’s wife, she checked to make sure that I’m surviving and I apologised for interrupting the funeral,” he said.

“She was just glad she wasn’t going to have to attend another one anytime soon.”
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